Collapsible bag washer and extractor



July 5, 1955 J. P. JONES COLLAPSIBLE BAG WASHER AND EXTRACTOR Original Filed Aug. 20, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVENTOR. J. PAUL JONES f7 TTORNE Y July 5, 1955 J. P. JONES COLLAPSIBLE BAG WASHER AND EXTRACTOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 20, 1948 A m m m J. PAUL JONES.

HTTORNE Y July 5, 1955 J. P. JONES 2,712,229

COLLAPSIBLE BAG WASHER AND EXTRACTOR Original Filed Aug. 20, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

J PAUL JONES ATTORNEY.

2,712,229 1 coLLAPsIeLE BAG WASHER AND EXTRACTOR John Paul Jones, South Bend, Ind., assignor, by meme assignments, to Avco Manufacturing Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Serial No. 45,347, August 20, 1948. This application October 17, 1952, Set-Ill No. 315,263

12 Claims. (CI. 6821) This invention relates to an improvement in a collapsible bag washer and extractor wherein a washing agitation takes place in a liquid and air tight bag after which the liquid and air is withdrawn from the interior of the bag to cause the bag to collapse by atmospheric pressure and to exert sufiicient pressure thereon to extract moisture from the clothes. This application is a continuation of my application, Serial Number 45,347,

filed August 20, 1948, now abandoned.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a centrally located opening adjacent the top of the bag for removing the washing liquid, such opening being of sufiicient size to allow free entry of water so that scum and other foreign matter will be removed with the washing liquid.

Another object is provision of an opening in such relationship to the size and shape of the flexible bag extractor that a major portion of the washing liquid is efficiently drained from the top of the bag without being strained through the clothes.

It is a further object to provide a type of bag forming a washing receptacle which with agitating means provided, will result in efficiently washing clothing contained therein and will result also in removal of a major portion of the washing liquid without straining all of this fluid through the clothe v It is also an object to provide a washing machine of the type described wherein the shape of the bag and relative position and location of a hollow agitator with open top inlet are so proportioned and arranged that the upper portion of the bag will collapse inwardly in amount sufficient to contact the agitator near the top thereof before the inward collapsing of other portions of the bag will cause any substantial lifting of the bottom portion of the bag, whereby the clothes are held below the open top of the agitator so that the initial draining of the top portion of the washing liquid with its accumulated scum will be accomplished without causing clothes to be sucked into the open top of the agitator.

It is another object to provide means to drain-washing liquid from a collapsible bag type washer and extractor in such manner that a major portion of the washing liquid is first removed from the top of the bag without draining.

through the clothes while a lesser portion is subsequently drained from the bottom of the bag in completing the extraction process. I

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and descriptions and the essential features will be set forth in the appended claims. v

In the drawings, I Figure l is a vertical sectional view, of the'inachine showing in cross section the general shape of the flexible bag and the general arrangement of the several parts "of the machine including the open top central drain type of agitator. I Figure 2 is a sectional view of the bag and agitator United States Patent 2,712,229 i 'atented July 5, 1955 initial suction to withdraw washing liquid has been started and the collapsing of the bag has begun.

Figure 3 is another cross section through the bag but in this case the bag is collapsed to the condition where the top portion of the bag has contacted the upper portion of the agitator, thereby preventing the clothes from moving upwardly into the open top of the agitator.

Figure 4 is also a cross section through the bag showing the bag in its substantially complete collapsed position.

Figure 5 is a top section of the motor and driving connections to the transmission and vacuum pump.

figure '6 is a section through the one way drive pulley for the pump.

Figure 7 is a section through the one way drive pulley for the transmission.

Figure 8 is a top sectional view of the transmission housing with the top cover removed showing the general arrangement of the parts of the transmission.

' Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the agitator with its open top drain opening and the arrangement for drain- I a flexible bag 10 forming a washing container having showing the bag in its partially collapsed position after how. The hollow center an open top is supported from a ring member 11 which is in turn supported near the top of a casing 12. The bag 10 together with its outer supporting member 13, is supported vertically from a member 14 positioned near the central portion of the casing 12. The outer metalic supporting member 13 is formed to taper into a neck portion l5 of such shape as to provide a taper into a neck portion 15 of lesser diameter than the bottom of the bag, which lower portion of the bag has a cylindrical side wall 16 and bottom wall 17. The bottom wall 17 of the bag 10 is positively held between a plate 18 and a formed portion of the supporting container 13 and these members are al-sosecured to a casting 19 which is secured to the support member 14 which carries the transmission housing 20. A vertical shaft '21 in the transmission housing 20 extends upwardly through suitable hearings in the casting member 19 and terminates in a spline 22 as shown. The shaft 21 has a pinion 23 mounted thereon which is driven from a rack 24, which is in turn driven for oscillation by a crank 25, carried by a worm wheel 26, driven .by a worm .27, rotated by a pulley 23, through belt 29 top of the shaft 21 carries an agitator member 31 which alsooscillates with the shaft 21. This agitator member 31 has a hollow center portion 32 with an open top 33. The opening 33'is unrestricted and adapted to take free water directly without provision for straining so that scum willbe carried away with the Water in a positive P rtion 32 extends downwardly through the center of the agitator to an outlet connection 34 through the'member 19. The agitator is also provided'with perforations 35, in its lower extending portion and these perforations extend into an open region 36 below the agitator separated from the outlet 34 by a cylindrical wall 37. This cylindrical wall 37 has a plurality of restricted openings 38 whichcommunicate with the hollow center 32 thereby communicating with outlet .34. The bottom face of the cylindrical wall member 37 ibo'ttomfa'ce of member 37 has the openings 38 cut therein in the form of notches and with the limited clearance provides a restricted flow. Therefore, the notches 38 form openings in the lowermost portion of the bag to assure full draining of liquid from the bottom of the container. The openings 38 plus "the clearance between memhers 19 and 38 provide an outlet area substantially less V than the cross sectional area of the top opening 33."

The outlet 34 is connected with a pump 39 through a conduit connection 49. This pump may be of the general type disclosed in U. S. Patent Number 2,189,356 and is capable of moving both air and liquid. The outlet 41 of this pump is connected with a stand pipe reservoir 42, which in turn is connected to an outlet 43. The pump is driven for rotation by a pulley 44 and a belt 45 from the main drive motor 30. By a provision of suitable controls to the winding of the motor 30 provision is made for selectively reversing the motor 30 so that it may be driven in one direction or another on the closing of suitable electrical circuits. In the pulley 28 for the transmission there is a one way drive 46 while in the pulley 44 for the pump there is a one way drive 47 of opposite direction so that when the motor 30 is driven in a direction such that pulley 23 rotates in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 6, the transmission will be operated because of actuation of one-way drive 46. However, if the drive is in the opposite direction, the pulley 28 will not drive the transmission 20 as one way drive 46 will disconnect. the pulley 44 in a counterclockwise direction, it will rotate the pump 39. However, if pulley 44 is operating clockwise, the pulley 44 will idle and the pump will not be driven.

It has been previously stated that the bag has a neck portion of lesser diameter than the bottom cylindrical portion 16. It is also important. that suificient material be provided in the walls 15 and 16 of the flexible bag 10, and if necessary, provision of additional material is made by a fold 50 as shown so that the length of the side wall of the bag will be such that on collapsing of the bag inwardly there will be suflicient material for the top portion of the bag to contact the upper region of the agitator 31, as shown in Figure 2, prior to any material lifting of the portion of the bag in the region of the lower side wall 16 or the bottom wall 17. Such conditions are shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The top of the bag 10 is provided with an opening which is closed by cover member 51, the cover member having a substantially spherical portion 52 in the region where it contacts the flexible flange 53 of the round top opening of the bag 10. Such spherical shape of the cover in the region of contact allows the cover to make substantially the same type of contact for sealing whether or not it is slightly tipped in one direction or the other and thereby the sealing of the bag is assured at all times when the cover is in place. It is understood that the cover is opened to insert and remove laundry.

Provision is made for supplying washing liquid to the interior of the bag 10 through an openingSS in cover 51. A valve closure and vacuum release 57 opens or closes this opening on actuation or release of .actuating mechanism such as a solenoid 58 which lifts closure 57 on actuation. With closure 57 lifted, a water directing tube 59 directs a stream of water into opening 55, water being furnished to directing tube 59 from a supply line 60 leading from mixing valve 61. Further details of the valve closure and vacuum release mechanism are disclosed in copending application Serial Number 33,184,

Wallace F. Oliver, filed June 15, 1948, now Patent No. 2,535,226 issued December 26, 1950, and assigned to the common assignee. Mixing valve 61 is preferably of the type used on washing machines for mixing hot and cold water from supply lines to desired temperature for use. Actuation of the valve 61 may be accomplished by solenoids 62 and 63 controlled by suitable electrical circuits, actuation of solenoid 62 providing hot water for washing and actuation of solenoid 63 providing mixed water at a lower temperature for rinsing In operation, clothes to be washed are put into the top Q of the machine with closure opening 55 open. After Contrariwise, if the motor 30 is driving the clothes and detergent material have been put in, the bag may be filled with water substantially up to the water line which is just below the top opening 33 of the agitator 31 in Figure 4. Water may be caused to run into the machine by actuation of suitable circuits controlling the inlet valve 57 or by other supply means at hand. After the required amount of water and soap or other detergent material has been added, the motor 30 can be started in operation by closing of suitable circuits in the direction to cause the pulley 28 to rotate the worm 27 thereby to cause the transmission assembly to oscillate the agitator member 31. This oscillation of the agitator causes movement of the washing liquid and clothes in substantially the same manner as in a conventional agitator type washer except that the restricted throat or neck portion 15 of the bag forms a controlled flow passage for the water and clothes and tends to cause the water, which is thrown outwardly by the vanes of the agitator near the bottom of the container, to move upwardly toward the inside wall of the bag to move in a more regular and advantageous manner and closer to agitator members than would be possible with a vertical wall tub of the diameter of the lower wall 16. The clothes are agitated by the oscillation of the agitator 31 for a time sufficient to provide necessary washing of the clothes. Up to this time it is not essential that the cover 51 be closed. However, for operations involving extraction now to be described, it is essential that the cover 51 be closed, thus sealing the top of the bag 10, valve closure 57 also being in the closed position. The motor 30 is reversed by actuation of suitable electrical circuits to reverse the direction of rotation, and on such reversal the pulley 28 will override the shaft of the worm 27 driving agitator member 31 and stop its oscillation, while the pulley 44 of the pump will cause a rotation of the propeller of the pump 39 and cause the liquid and air carried in the conduit 40 to be carried out from the machine through the standpipe 42 and the outlet 43. It is noted on reference to Figure 1 that the open end of the central portion 33 of the agitator projects upwardly into the portion of the bag which contains no water, and although there are openings 35 in the lower portion of the agitator 31 communicating with restricted openings 38 and with outlet 34, these openings are so restricted that the flow of water is relatively small in amount. Therefore, there is a primary pull of air down the hollow center 32 from the top portion of the bag just under the cover 51. Such exhaust of air produces a reduction in pressure inside the bag and atmospheric pressure on the outside of the bag causes a deflection of the bag toward the agitator at the top. Such a deflection is shown in Figure 2 and as the bag pulls in at the top, the water level rises and immediately there is an overflow of water into the top of the open end 33 of the agitator downwardly and out the outlet 34. This exhaust of air and water at the top continues and as is evident with reference to Figure 2 and since sufficient material is provided in that region there 'is no tendency in Figure 2 for the bag to lift up from the bottom. In Figure 3 showing a further stage in the operat ons, there is still no tendency of the bag to lift up from the bottom but the fold 50 has been taken up and the bag now contacts the top of the agitator 31. This closing in of the bag at the top has efiected a holding down of the clothes preventing them from flowing over the top with the water and into the open top of the agitator.

The major outlet of water, however, has been into the open end 33 of the agitator.

It is important that with the tapering of the bag to restricted diameter near the top as shown in Figure 1,

cient length to the bag wall from the inclined portion upwardly to allow the bag to contact the top of the agitator before there is any lifting of the bottom wall of the bag, thus holding the clothes in the lower portion of the bag. The primary flow of water prior to the time that the position of the bag shown in Figure 3 is reached, is a flow of water down through the center of the agitator. There is a substantially lesser flow of water through the openings 35 in the bottom of the flanged portion of the agitator into the region 36 and into holes 38. The major portion of the free water in the machine will have been taken off through the center of the agitator when the condition is reached as shown in Figure 3. After the bag has contacted the agitator, there is still a considerable flow of water over the top into opening 33 but there will not be a possibility of clothes flowing upwardly through the folds of the bag. Therefore, with conditions as in Figure 3, a major portion of the free water in the clothes will go to the top of the agitator and continue to flow through the folds of the bag and there will be a relatively smaller portion of the water removed which will flow through the clothes and out through the openings 35 and 38.

As the bag continues to collapse because of increased difference between atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the bag, the top of the bag folds up under the cover as is shown in Figure 4 and the other portions of the bag also collapse tightly around the clothes. When this folding of the bag onto the cover is accomplished, there will be an equal pressure on both sides of the portion of cover 51 on which the bag so folds. The final extraction of water is obtained by removal of water through the restricted openings 38 and 35 into the outlet 34 and as the pump continues its operation, the pressure on the outside of the bag exerts a squeezing action to remove water from the clothes by compressing them between the bag and the agitator. On termination of extraction by squeezing action, the valve closure 57 may be actuated to effect a release by allowing air to enter the opening 55 and after such actuation the cover 51 may be lifted and the clothes removed or more water may be added for a rinsing operation followed by agitation and another extraction by collapsing of the bag by removal of water and air therefrom by operation of pump 39.

I claim:

1. A combination washing and extractor mechanism comprising a collapsible liquid and air-tight bag, an agitator member within said bag, said agitator having a substantially vertical passageway therethrough and terminating at its upper end in a relatively large upper opening, said bag substantially surrounding said agitator, a lower portion of said agitator having an opening from said passageway into said bag of smaller area than said large upper opening, vacuum means to collapse said bag, said vacuum means being in communication with said passageway, whereby upon collapse of said bag, liquid and floating scum is forced into the upper large opening of the agitator and a lesser portion of fluid is forced through said opening of smaller area.

2. A laundry device having a flexible liquid and airtight bag for holding laundry and liquid detergent, said bag having an opening centrally located in the top and having a cover for closing said opening, an upstanding agitator member extending into the upper portion of the bag and located centrally within the bag, said agitator having a substantially vertical passageway therethrough and having imperforate side walls, said bag substantially surrounding said agitator, said agitator terminating in a relatively large opening in the upper portion of the bag, a lower portion of said agitator having openings communicating with said passageway in the lower portion of said bag, pumping means communicating with said passageway to withdraw liquid and air and thereby collapse said bag, the upper portion of said bag being spaced from said member and having a suflicient excess of material that the upper portion of the bag, on collapsing, will contact the upper portion of said member prior to the lifting of the bottom portion of said bag, whereby floating scum and liquid are removed from the upper level of said liquid, and the remaining liquid is removed through gsaid opening in the lower portion of said agitator. I

3. A washing machine comprising a flexible and substantially liquid and air-tight bag, means for agitating laundry including an upstanding impeller within said bag, said bag substantially surrounding said impeller, said impeller having a longitudinal passageway-therethrough and terminating in a relatively large opening in the upper portion of said bag, a lower portion of said impeller having openings of lesser total flow capacity than said upper opening and communicating with said passageway adjacent to the bottom of said bag, said bag including a bottom wall and side walls converged toward the center thereof and toward the upper portion of said impeller, and vacuum pump means communicating with said passageway for withdrawing surface liquid and scum through said upper opening and for withdrawing the remaining liquid through said openings in the lower portion of said impeller, whereby said bag is collapsed against said laundry. 7

4. A device of the character described employing'a collapsible bag extractor to contain laundry and washing fluid, and including an upstanding centrally located agitator member having a vertical passageway therethrough and terminating in an opening disposed in the upper portion of 'said bag, a suction means, a downwardly extending skirt and a lateral and downward extension on said agitator defining a space in the lower part of the bag, said skirt having openings which provide -communication between said space and said passageway of smaller total flow capacity than said first named opening, said passageway and said skirt openings being in communication with said suction means, said suction means removing the major portion of surface water and air, together with scum, through said first named opening and causing collapse of the bag by atmospheric pressure on the outside thereof, the remaining fluid being withdrawn through said skirt openings.

5. A washing and extracting mechanism of the character described comprising a collapsible bag to receive clothes and washing fluid, said bag having substantial bottom and side walls, a vertically positioned tubular agitator member within said bag and extending into the upper portion of said bag, said bag substantially surrounding said tubular agitator, said bag having excess material in its top portion suflicient to allow contact of said bag With a top wall portion of said tubular agitator before lifting of said bottom wall of said bag, the top tubular wall portion of said agitator being impervious throughout the entire zone thereof where the bag contacts the same, said tubular agitator having a passageway therethrough, said top tubular wall portion having an opening communicating with said passageway and with the upper portion of said bag to remove liquid and floating scum from the surface of said liquid in the bag, a lower wall portion of said tubular agitator being provided with openings through which liquid from the lower portion of said bag is discharged, and suction means for creating a vacuum within the bag, said suction means being in communication with said passageway and said openings in the lower portion of said agitator to first withdraw water and scum from the surface of said liquid and water from the lower portion of the bag, and then to withdraw any remaining fluid from the lower portion of the bag.

6. In a washing machine having a collapsible bag extractor, a centrally located and upstanding hollow agitator within said bag, said agitator having an unrestricted opening at the top end thereof, said top end extending into the upper portion of said bag, a suction device in direct communication with said hollow agitator, said agitator having a lower skirt portion provided with relatively small notches in its bottom edge, said notches providing materially less total area for fluid flow from said collapsible bag to said suction device than said top opening, said suction device removing the surface portion 'of fluid through said top opening, thereby causing said bag to collapse against said laundry and squeeze it inwardly and downwardly, the remaining fluid removed from said laundry flowing through said notches.

7. A collapsible bag washer and extractor for laundry comprising an air-tight and water-tight collapsible, flexible bag, an agitator oscillatory about a vertical axis within said bag, a hollow conduit coaxial with the axis of said agitator, said agitator having an imperforate central portion and said conduit communicating with the upper portion of the interior of said bag through a top opening inlet in the upper portion of said agitator adjacent the level of the washing fluid in the bag, and means to drain air, vapor and washing fluid from said hollow conduit and from under said agitator to the outside of said bag by creating a vacuum within said bag.

8. A collapsible bag washer and extractor for laundry, comprising a water-tight and air-tight, collapsible, flexible bag, an agitator oscillatory about a vertical axis within said bag, a hollow conduit coaxial with said agitator, said agitator having an imperforate central portion, and said conduit communicating with the upper portion of the interior of said bag through a' top opening inlet in the upper portion of said agitator adjacent the level of washing fluid in the bag, and evacuating means and a drain communicating with said bag through said conduit, adapted to collapse the bag by creating a sub-atmospheric pressure therein, whereby washing fluid is squeezed up wardly by the collapsed the bag so that air, vapor and suspended and floating dirt, scum and soap curds in said washing fluid may be evacuated along with said fluid at said sub-atmospheric pressure through said conduit to avoid filtering or redepositing such curds, scum 'and dirt onto said clothes.

9. In a washing machine having a flexible liquidand air-tight bag adapted to contain laundry and liquid detergent and said bag having an opening centrally located in the top and having a cover for closing said opening, a hollow upstanding post located centrally of the bottom of said bag and extending upwardly to a point nearer the top than to the bottom of said bag, said post being imperforate at the central portion thereof, said post having an opening in its top portion communicating between the hollow thereof and the interior of said bag,

said bag having walls above its bottom of sufficient extent I.

to fold inwardly and substantially to touch the top of said post, and vacuum means communicating with the hollow of said post for withdrawing liquid and air, said vacuum means causing said bag to first fold inwardly to contact said post near the top thereof whereby floating 8 scum or detergent within the bag approaches the top of said post where it will be cairied away through said top opening by said vacuum means.

10. A washing machine comprising a flexible bag which is liquidand air-tight, means for agitating laundry in Cluding an upstanding impeller within said bag, said irnpeller being hollow and substantially imperforate throughout the central portion thereof, said impeller having fluid exit means at the upper portion thereof above the level of the laundry, said impeller having a clearance space between the bottomthereof and said bag bottom but of limited extent relative to said fluid exit means at the upper portion of said impeller, said bag including bottom and side walls of sufiicient size to substantially surround said laundry, and vacuum means for withdrawing liquid and air from said bagthrough the hollow central portion of said impeller, whereby scum is initially removed through said upper fluid exit means.

11. A washing machine comprising an air-sealed collapsible bag to receive materials to be washed, a hollow post within the said bag having a passage for liquid flow, a plurality of liquid exit means within the machine, at least one of said exit means communicating with an upper level of the interior of the bag through said passage in the post and being of sufficient capacity to enable initial removal of scum and floating material, other of said exit means being of relative limited capacity compared to said upper level exit means and communicating with a low level of the interior of said bag to remove the remaining portion of said liquid, and vacuum means cornmunicating with said passage to withdraw said scum and floating material and the liquid contents of the bag therethrough.

12. A washing machine comprising an air-sealed collapsible bag to receive materials to be washed, a hollow post Within said bag having a passage providing for liquid flow, a plurality of liquid exit means in the machine, some of said exit means communicating with the upper level of the interior of the bag through said passage in said post, other of said exit means communicating with a low level of the interior of said bag, said upper exit means being of sufficient capacity to provide for initial discharge of scum and floating material therethrough, said low level exit means providing for discharge of the remainder of said liquid from the bag but of restricted capacity to assure said initial discharge of scum and floating material, and vacuum means to collapse the bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rand June 7, 1949 

